Homemade Shepherd's Pie Recipe (with Tips to Make it Perfect!)

Name: Homemade Shepherd's Pie
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 75 min
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon oil; 1 pound ground beef; 1 clove garlic (chopped); 2 onions (finely chopped); 2 medium carrots (finely diced); 2 sticks celery (finely diced); 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon ground paprika; ground black pepper (to taste); 2 tablespoons white flour; 2 tablespoons tomato paste; 1/3 cup red wine (OR more broth if avoiding alcohol); 1 cup beef broth; 1 cup frozen peas; 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley; 1/2 teaspoon finely chopped thyme; 1 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary; 4 cups mashed potatoes ((click for my recipe and you'll have some leftovers to sneak during cooking)); 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Make the ultimate comfort food for your family: Homemade Shepherd’s Pie (or Cottage Pie) with ground beef (or lamb!) – simple, yummy and easy to make.

close up of spoon inside shepherd's pie filling

A delicious filling with lots of gravy underneath a fluffy layer of mashed potatoes – perfect for a cold night, or as a special St. Patrick’s Day treat.

I always use my Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes on top (but regular mashed potatoes work just fine, if you’re not an instant-potter 😉). You can also use leftover mashed potatoes (those also make great Irish potato pancakes… just saying!). Simple, but so comforting!

Ingredients you’ll need

Here is an overview of the ingredients in the recipe (great to use as a visual grocery list at the store!). Jump to Recipe for quantities.

photo of shepherd's pie ingredients with labels — Ingredients for shepherd’s pie: Ground beef, beef broth, oil, red wine, flour, tomato paste, onions, garlic, carrots, celery, peas, herbs, cheddar cheese, salt, pepper and ground paprika.

Ingredient notes

Wine: You can skip the wine and use more broth instead. If you’re not sure which wine to use, go for a dry red wine you would also drink. A Merlot or Pinot Noir is great. (You can technically use cooking wine, it’s just not my preference – if you do use seasoned cooking wine, make sure to taste test and pay attention to the amount of salt you add.)
Tomato paste: Can also use ketchup instead if you don’t have tomato paste.
Mashed potatoes: I usually make my Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes for this, but my regular mashed potatoes are delicious, too. I’ve also had readers made this with ready-made mashed potatoes, so that’s a great shortcut.
Allergy friendliness: For a gluten-free friendly version, use cornstarch in place of the flour. Be sure to check all of your ingredients to make sure they’re gluten free (especially the beef broth! you can use water if you don’t have any).
If you don’t like peas, it’s also delicious with chopped green beans.
I hear people make this low carb by using mashed cauliflower they whisk together with 1 egg yolk in place of the mashed potatoes. I love my potatoes, but your call 😉
You can also make this vegetarian by using 2 cups of cooked, brown lentils in place of the ground beef and vegetable broth in place of the beef broth.

Beef or lamb?

It might we worth telling you right now that the technical term for this recipe is actually cottage pie (made with ground beef) and not authentic shepherd’s pie (made with ground lamb). But my mission here on Savory Nothings is always to share recipes real people with a real grocery budget and a regular grocery store and an everyday exhausting kids/work/life situation can make.

So, there it is. Fake Shepherd’s Pie. Aka Homemade Shepherd’s Pie with ground beef. One that’s simple and affordable and delicious. It is the best ❤️ Feel free to use ground lamb in place of the beef for a more authentic version! Lamb tends to be more fatty, so drain it after browning if you prefer less fat.

Step by step photos

photo collage of shepherd's pie steps — Steps to make a shepherd’s pie: 1) Brown ground beef, then 2) stir in diced vegetables and sauté until softened. 3) Stir in seasoning and flour, then stir in tomato paste. 4) Deglaze the pan with red wine, then 5) add the broth, herbs and peas and 6) simmer until thickened. 7) Cool the filling in a casserole dish, 8) then top with mashed potatoes 9) and cheese and bake until golden and bubbly.

Recipe tips

Don’t be scared of adding some color: Make sure to brown the meat and vegetables well for the most intense flavors
Do not skip cooling the filling: This is how you keep the layers in shepherd’s pie from mixing; depending on the dish and the room temperature, cool it for 15-30 minutes (sometimes I put mine outside in the winter, it’s cold in 15 minutes!)

Shepherd’s Pie FAQs

What’s the difference between cottage pie and shepherd’s pie?

Like I said above, the main difference between cottage pie and shepherd’s pie is the meat: Shepherd’s pie uses ground lamb, cottage pie uses ground beef. In America, the term Shepherd’s pie has commonly been adopted for the version made with ground beef.

Can you eat shepherd’s pie the next day?

Yes, if you keep it in the fridge, shepherd’s pie keeps well for up to 3 days. Just reheat it until piping hot all the way through and serve.

How do you reheat Shepherd’s pie?

Oven: Reheat the leftovers at 350°F until piping hot all the way through (this will take 15-30 minutes, depending on how much of the pie you are reheating). If you’re re-heating leftovers, I recommend transferring them to a clean baking dish to avoid food burnt into the dish.
Microwave: Make sure you put the pie in a microwave-safe dish. Cover and microwave in 30 second bursts until piping hot all the way through. Check the pie in between (careful, it can get hot!) and stir a little to make the food heat evenly.

Make ahead instructions

Assemble the entire pie as directed in the recipe, right up to the finally baking step. Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days, then bake at 400°F for 30-40 minutes, or until the filling is bubbly and the top is golden.

Freezer instructions

Prepare as directed in the recipe, right up to the final baking step. Wrap well with foil and then aluminum foil. Label and freeze for up to 2 months.

To reheat: No need to defrost! Remove both foils, then replace the aluminum foil. Bake at 400°F with the foil on for 1 hour. Remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes, until browned.

Serving suggestions

As a casserole, this is generally an all-in-one meal I often serve pretty much by itself. Sometimes I’ll make sautéed green beans or crockpot glazed carrots on the side, especially if it’s a holiday or we have family over.

A nice green salad is also a good side. I make mine with a homemade honey mustard dressing – so good!

I LOVE Shepherd’s Pie. It’s the ultimate comfort food to me. It reminds me of working in a pub after finishing high school, it reminds me of my late British grandma, and it reminds me how much better it is to spend St. Patrick’s Day at home vs at a party, haha!

While, admittedly, this IS a bit more work than something like a one pot pasta or a throw-together casserole… It’s still fairly simple for such a hearty and traditional meal.

AND, you can always make double and freeze one for an easy meal later – freezer instructions are included in the recipe notes below. Enjoy!

More comfort food classics

PS If you try this recipe, why not leave a star rating in the recipe card right below and/or a review in the comment section further down the page? I always appreciate your feedback! You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram. Sign up for my email list, too!

And in case you’re here for St. Patrick’s Day…

More Irish inspired recipes

I first published this recipe in 2017. I republished it on 06/04/2020 to make it better for you.

Homemade Shepherd’s Pie